Earth plant compostable biodegradable substrate and method of producing the same

ABSTRACT

An earth plant-based compostable biodegradable composition for the formation of a bioplastic and method of producing said resin, the composition comprising: about 17.5 to 45% ethanol-based green polyethylene by weight, about 20 to 25% calcium carbonate by weight, about 2 to 12% hemp hurd or soy protein by weight, about 32 to 45% starch by weight, and about 0.5 to 1% biodegradation additive by weight to enable biodegradation and composting of the bioplastic; wherein the composition is produced by first mill grinding the ethanol-based green polyethylene, calcium carbonate, hemp hurd or soy protein, starch and the biodegradation additive into fine powders, then mechanically mixing the fine powders one by one into a final mixture for about 5-25 minutes at a time, dry and without heat, and then heating the final mixture to about 220 to 430 degrees Fahrenheit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation and claims the benefit of U.S.Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 17/447,959, filed Sep. 17, 2021,which is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No.17/133,385, filed Dec. 23, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,149,131, which isa continuation-in-part of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No.16/777,783, filed Jan. 30, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,882,977, which arehereby incorporated by reference, to the extent that they are notconflicting with the present application.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to compositions, and more specificallyto an earth plant-based composition having eco-friendly sustainableproperties, which can be effectively used to produce bioplastic withoutthe use of plasticizers or thermoplastic starch additives, usingorganic, sustainable, renewable or recyclable material sources toproduce masterbatch of bioplastic resins —biopolymers for use in durablegoods, food, and beverage containers, cosmetic, and healthcarepackaging, medical devices, automotive materials, all types of packagingmaterials, and any other related applications that are currently madefrom petroleum-based plastic materials.

2. Description of the Related Art

Petroleum-based resins, such as polyethylene phthalate, polyethylene,polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon, polyolefin, andplasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and many other similar or relatedpetroleum-based resins, are widely used today for a wide range ofapplications, such as for packaging materials, automotive parts, homeappliances, toys, and the like. However, such petroleum-based resins arenot compostable or biodegradable, thereby causing environmental harm, inthe form of greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, landfill issues, oceanfilled with plastic and human health issues.

In response to such effects, scientists and engineers have tried todevelop biopolymers (bio based resins), typically polylactic acid (PLA)resins. PLA resins have become popular, and are widely considered as analternative to petroleum-based plastics. However, there are severalissues, challenges, and limitation with the use of PLA resin for durablegoods and other plastic products.

PLA resin has temperature issues and melts in sunlight or increasedtemperatures such as hot water or deconstructs in a microwave and cannotbe used in products that are placed in a dishwasher. If a PLA bottle isleft in an automobile in the hot summer temperatures that bottle wouldmelt, disintegrate into a messy blob of goop in that environment. PLA isalso brittle, thus it cannot be used in durable goods applications.

PLA resin is also difficult to injection mold and does not process wellin existing injection molding equipment. It is not durable in coldtemperatures either. There are many challenges in trying to blow moldPLA resin or extrude it. To blow mold PLA resin, a chemical additive maybe added, thereby contaminating the PLA property to be bio-based.Further, during processing, the PLA resin must be pre-dried in an ovenbefore using it in plastic industry application, such as injectionmolding, extruding, blow molding etc. As an example, this causes anincrease in labor, equipment, and energy costs. Also, PLA can't berecycled with other plastics, such as PE.

Moreover, another issue is high costs associated with producing (PLA)polylactic acid resin, and its current limited supply, along with itslimited ability as a durable goods bioplastic, renders this alternativeto petroleum-based plastic economically infeasible.

Additionally, (PLA) polylactic acid resins have poor durabilityproperties, poor heat temperature resistance or cold resistancetemperature properties, and lack moisture resistance barriers or theflexibility necessary for certain applications, such as high impactdurable goods, packaging films, bottles, automotive parts, cosmeticpackaging and toys, just to name a few of issues with using PLA forindustrial and consumer goods. The mechanical properties of PLA resin,and also of PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates) resin are lacking in comparisonwith petroleum-based resin (e.g., high flow rate of PLA and PHA makesthem both unsuitable for blow molding; unsuitable for durable goods).

It has been suggested and common that low-molecular weightflexibilitizers or plasticizers be added to the PLA or PHA resins, whichare not organic/bio-based, or additives to be added to slow the meltflow rate, which, again, are chemicals that are not bio/organic-basedmaterials. However, products made from PLA or PHA, such as packagingfilms, straws, consumer products, still exhibit poor stability,brittleness, temperature issues, moisture issues, rendering the PLA andPHA resin disadvantageous. In addition, testing revealed that thecurrently available additives make the resulting compositionsnon-biodegradable, non-compostable, and not from a sustainable or arenewable material source.

Alternatively, Green PE (e.g., I'm Green™)—Green polyethylene,polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or other “green”copolymers that could be derived from an organic, sustainable renewablematerial source like sugarcane, sugar beet, or corn have been employedin compositions as an alternative for petroleum-based polyethylene,polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate and other polymers made frompetroleum. These green (plant-based) polymers, such as PE, PP, PET,combine high-performance and processability. Plastics made from GreenPE, Green PP, Green PET and other polymers are recyclable similar toconventional plastic polymers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene,polyethylene terephthalate products, and Green PE, PP, PET Greenpolymers are also known as a sustainable renewable material source, andtherefore provides the ability to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.However, Green polymers such as Green PE, Green PP and Green PET are notbiodegradable or compostable and may still contribute to the pollutionof landfills and oceans. There has not been any economically feasibletechnology developed to produce a Green PE, PP or PET that isbiodegradable or bio-compostable, thus truly “Green.”

Global annual petroleum polymer resin production will exceed 700 billionpound in 2020, and we still do not have a viable economically feasible,sustainable, renewable biodegradable and bio-compostable resin solutionto our global tsunami waste stream of regular plastic going into ourlandfills, oceans, and rivers, and our atmosphere.

Likewise, a stone-based copolymer substrate resin has been developed asa replacement composition for tree-based paper, hard paper and limitedplastic goods. More particularly this substrate resin relates to alimestone-based copolymer substrate, which may be used as a replacementcomposition for limited goods currently manufactured from tree-based orpetroleum-based substances. Due to the stone-based copolymer substrateresin brittleness and inability to be applied in making films, flexibleproducts, be used to extrude products as well extrude blow mold, theresin cannot be used to generally replace petroleum-based plasticproducts. Moreover, stone-based resin contains a high concentration ofcalcium carbonate (CaCo3) ranging from approximately fifty toeighty-five percent (50-85%) by weight and varying in diameter generallyfrom 2 to 4 microns. Because of the presence of the calcium carbonate,products made from the stone-based resin have disadvantages of anincrease in brittleness, haze, a major decrease in transparency,decrease in flexibility and durability. Thus, there have been manylimitations of the fields and applications to which this resin isapplicable.

Due to the limitations of the above attempts, plastics currentlyavailable in the marketplace are typically still petroleum-based, whichrequire large amounts of processing energy and cost to produce.Unfortunately, petroleum is derived from crude oil, which is often inlimited supply and in high demand. Further, crude oil is not a renewablematerial. Worse, petroleum-based plastic products are typically notbiodegradable or bio-compostable, which creates a tremendousenvironmental problem globally, including by causing disposal issuesonce the product has been used.

In general, there has been no real sustainable, bioplastic materialdeveloped that can be economically scaled for mass production, that iseconomically feasible, and can be used to replace a wide range ofpetroleum-based plastic products used today in the global market.

Therefore, there is a need to solve the problems described above byproviding an economically feasible, earth plant-based compostable andbiodegradable composition having eco-friendly properties, and scalablemethods of manufacturing said resins globally.

The aspects or the problems and the associated solutions presented inthis section could be or could have been pursued; they are notnecessarily approached that have been previously conceived or pursued.Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that anyof the approaches presented in this section quality as prior art merelyby virtue of their presence in this section of the application.

BRIEF INVENTION SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects oressential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summaryis not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of theclaimed subject matter.

In an aspect, an earth plant-based compostable biodegradable (EarthPCB)composition is provided comprising a composition of blended earth andcopolymer substrates. The composition may be provided with ethanol-basedGreen polyethylene (e.g., I'm green™ Polyethylene) from approximatelyfifteen percent to seventy-five percent (15-75%) by weight. Thecomposition may also include calcium carbonate (CaCO3) fromapproximately fifteen to sixty percent (15-60%) by weight. Thecomposition may also include hemp hurd, which is 100% biodegradable andrecyclable, and may be provided from two percent up to seventy-fivepercent (2-75%) by weight. The composition may also include starch,which is 100% biodegradable on its own, and may be provided from abouttwenty percent up to sixty percent (20-60%) by weight. The EarthPCBresin may also include a biodegradation additive from approximately halfof a percent up to ten percent (0.5-10%) by weight. Thus, an advantageof the EarthPCB substrate may be that resulting products are as strongor stronger than petroleum-based plastic, while also being compostable,biodegradable, recyclable and non-toxic to the environment.

In another aspect, an earth plant-based compostable biodegradablecomposition is provided, wherein the composition may include soyprotein, soy polyols, or soy plastic provided from approximately twopercent to ten percent (2 to 10%) by weight. The EarthPCB resin may beprovided with the soy protein in substitution of the hemp hurd,resulting in a composition comprising ethanol-based Green polyethylene,calcium carbonate, soy protein, biodegradation additive (e.g., EcoPure®)and starch. Thus, an advantage of the EarthPCB composition with thesubstituted soy protein may be that the resulting products are as strongor stronger than petroleum plastic, yet they are compostable,biodegradable, recyclable and non-toxic to the environment. Anadditional advantage may be that the components that make up theEarthPCB composition are widely available and cost-effective, renderingthe resin an affordable and renewable alternative to petroleum-basedplastic resins.

In another aspect, a method of making an earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition is provided. The EarthPCB resin may comprisean ethanol-based PE, calcium carbonate, hemp hurd, starch,biodegradation additive, soy protein and biopolymer. The method ofproducing the earth plant-based compostable biodegradable compositionmay involve first milling the substrate copolymers into a fine powder,wherein each particle of the powder is approximately of the diameter0.25 to 3.0 micrometers (microns). The green polyethylene may be milledto a fine powder of about 0.25 to 3.0 microns, and the substrate calciumcarbonate may be milled to a fine powder of about 0.25 to 3.0 microns,and the two powders may be mechanically mixed together, forming a firstmixture. The substrate hemp hurd may be milled to a fine powder of about0.25 to 3.0 microns and mechanically mixed and blended dry with thefirst mixture, forming a second mixture. Then, the substrate starch maybe milled to a fine granulated powder of about 0.25 to 3.0 microns andmechanically mixed and blended dry with the second mixture, forming athird mixture. The substrate biodegradation additive may be milled to afine granulated powder of about 0.25 to 3.0 microns and thenmechanically mixed and blended dry with the third mixture, forming thefinal EarthPCB composition. The biopolymer may then be heated to betweenabout 220- and 360-degrees Fahrenheit (F.) to achieve thermodynamicactivation of the biopolymer, thus forming a polymer resin blend. Thus,an advantage of the method of producing the EarthPCB substrate may bethat all components of the resin blend evenly and are blended drywithout the need of applying heat during the mixing process. Anadditional advantage of the method of producing the EarthPCB substratemay be that the manufacturing process requires relatively low energyconsumption.

In another aspect, an exemplary method of producing an earth plant-basedcompostable biodegradable substrate resin in pelletized form isprovided. The method of producing the EarthPCB substrate copolymer maybe provided with ethanol-based Green polyethylene from approximately 50to 65% by weight, starch from approximately 30 to 50% by weight, andbiodegradation additive from approximately 2 to 10% by weight. Themethod of producing the EarthPCB substrate copolymer may include firstmill grinding each substrate copolymer separately into fine powders ofabout 0.25 to 3.0 microns. These fine powders may then be blendeduniformly in a mechanical mixer for about 5 to 25 minutes for eachpowder, adding each substrate copolymer one at a time during the mixingprocess. The fine powders are blended dry with no heat in the mechanicalmixer. When all three of the substrate copolymers have been mechanicallyagitated together dry, the complete mixture of substrate may be heatedat a temperature of between about 220- and 360-degrees F. to achievethermodynamic activation, thus establishing cohesion between eachsubstrate copolymer and resulting in a substrate resin. Finally, thesubstrate resin may be cured at a temperature between about 250- and360-degrees F. to form pelletized bioplastic that may be used in variousmanufacturing processes for the production of bioplastic products. Thus,an advantage of the method of producing the substrate resin may be thatthe resin can be used as a material to form numerous types of food andbeverage containers, packaging, film, and similar plastic products. Anadditional advantage of the method may be that the resulting productswill be recyclable, compostable and biodegradable.

In an aspect, an earth plant-based compostable biodegradable (EarthPCB™)composition is provided comprising a composition of blended earth andcopolymer substrates. The composition may be provided with ethanol-basedGreen polyethylene made from different type of organic materials such ascorn, sugarcane, sugar beets, cellulosic, or other plant-based ethanolEarth polyethylene or Green polyethylene (e.g., EarthPE™).

The above aspects or examples and advantages, as well as other aspectsor examples and advantages, will become apparent from the ensuingdescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes, aspects,embodiments or examples of the invention are illustrated in the figuresof the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate exemplary embodiments of the earth plant-basedcompostable biodegradable composition made during testing, according toan aspect.

FIG. 2 illustrate other exemplary sample products made from the earthplant based compostable biodegradable composition made during testing,according to an aspect.

FIG. 3 illustrate various products that were successfully manufacturedfrom the earth plant-based compostable biodegradable composition,showing its broad suitability, according to an aspect.

FIGS. 4A-C show the side, bottom and top views, respectively, of anotherproduct, a shoe sole, that was also successfully made from the earthplant-based compostable biodegradable composition disclosed herein.

FIG. 5 shows a product made from the earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition being flexible.

FIG. 6 illustrate a drinking straw made from the earth plant-basedcompostable biodegradable composition, that remained undeformed afterbeing tested in boiling hot microwaved water.

FIG. 7 illustrate a drinking straw made from PLA, that was deformed byboiling hot microwaved water.

FIG. 8 illustrate a mask made from the earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition.

FIG. 9 illustrate a cup made from the earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition that glows in the dark.

FIG. 10 illustrate a cup made from the earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition that is still flexible after being cooled tofreezing temperature.

FIGS. 11A-C, 12A-C, 13A-C show results of biodegradation testingperformed on plastic made from three particular formulas of the earthplant-based compostable biodegradable composition, EPCB 177, EPCB 178,EPCB 179, respectively.

FIG. 14A shows results of strength tests performed on plastic made fromtwo particular formulas of the earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition, EPCB 240, EPCB 241, respectively.

FIG. 14B shows results of strength tests performed on plastic made fromplant-based polyethylene versus petroleum-based polyethylene.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

What follows is a description of various aspects, embodiments and/orexamples in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be madeto the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawingsis part of this detailed description. The aspects, embodiments and/orexamples described herein are presented for exemplification purposes,and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that logicalmodifications could be made by someone of ordinary skills in the artwithout departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scopeof the invention is defined by the accompanying claims and theirequivalents.

It should be understood that, for clarity of the drawings and of thespecification, some or all details about some components or steps thatare known in the art are not shown or described if they are notnecessary for the invention to be understood by one of ordinary skillsin the art.

For the following description, it can be assumed that mostcorrespondingly labeled elements across the figures possess the samecharacteristics and are subject to the same structure and function. Ifthere is a difference between correspondingly labeled elements that isnot pointed out, and this difference results in a non-correspondingstructure or function of an element for a particular embodiment, exampleor aspect, then the conflicting description given for that particularembodiment, example or aspect shall govern.

The present invention relates to an earth plant-based (EarthPCB)composition and methods having eco-friendly properties, which can beeffectively used to replace petroleum-based plastic. The EarthPCBcomposition may include additional advantageous properties, such asimproved strength in bioplastic material, improved flexibility, moistureresistance, oxygen barrier, possible biodegradable properties, andcomposting. The materials that form the EarthPCB are also widelyavailable and relatively low-cost. As will be described in thisdisclosure, the EarthPCB composition may comprise a polymer resincompounding of earth-based materials, a plant-based material resincomprising a hard pellet resin segment and soft segments. The hardpellet resin segment may comprise calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and the softsegments may comprise starch, hemp hurd, an ethanol-based Greenpolyethylene and a well-known biodegradation additive (e.g., EcoPure®).These segments may enable products made from the EarthPCB resin tocompost and biodegrade after use, while also being non-toxic. Thus, anadvantage may be that the earth plant compostable resin-based bioplasticcan be used to replace petroleum-based plastics that are currently usedin food and beverage packaging, as well as in other types of consumerproducts.

In an aspect, the EarthPCB composition may be provided with anethanol-based Green polyethylene from approximately fifteen percent toseventy-five percent (15-75%) by weight in a preferred form of finelyground powder of about 0.25 to 3.0 micrometers (microns). The EarthPCBresin substrate may also be provided with CaCO3 from approximatelyfifteen to sixty percent (15 to 60%) by weight of fine powder generallyin the preferred approximate diameter of 0.25-3.0 microns. The presenceof calcium carbonate in the EarthPCB may be advantageous for particularapplications wherein white plastic is desirable, such as in pillbottles, shampoo bottles, etc. Because calcium carbonate is naturallywhite, it may decrease the need for white colorant, which may decreasethe cost of producing the EarthPCB for such applications. An additionaladvantage is that the EarthPCB uses lower concentrations of calciumcarbonate than those of stone-based resins, which makes the EarthPCBcomposition less brittle.

The EarthPCB resin substrate may also be provided with hemp hurd fromapproximately two to seventy-five percent (2-75%) by weight milled intoa fine powder of about 0.25 to 3.0 microns, as an example. Using hemphurd to produce plastic may be a far better option than petroleum-basedplastic as it is 100% biodegradable and recyclable. The EarthPCB resinsubstrate may also include starch, which is derived from starch granulesthat occur in plants (e.g., potatoes, wheat, rice, corn, cassava). Thestarch may be provided from approximately twenty percent to sixtypercent (20-60%) by weight milled into a fine powder of about 0.25- to3.0-micron particles.

Lastly, the EarthPCB resin may be provided with biodegradation additivein approximately one-half percent to ten percent (0.5-10%) by weightmilled into a fine powder of about 0.25 to 3.0 microns, as an example.The biodegradation additive enables the products formed with theEarthPCB composition to biodegrade within 60 to 180 days under anaerobicconditions under ASTM D5511 (Standard Test Method for DeterminingAnaerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials), as well as compost in 30to 90 days under anaerobic conditions. Thus, an advantage of theEarthPCB composition may be that bioplastic products made from the resinare as strong or stronger than petroleum plastic, yet they arecompostable, biodegradable, recyclable and non-toxic to the environment.

It should be understood that within the ranges described above, variousEarthPCB compositions can be formulated. Of the five componentsdescribed above, tests revealed that three of the five components arecritical to obtaining a suitable EarthPCB. These three components arethe ethanol-based Green polyethylene, the starch, and the biodegradationadditive. In an example, one may choose to combine 75% Greenpolyethylene by weight with 20% starch by weight, and 5% biodegradationadditive by weight. In another example, one may choose to combine allfive of the above components into a single composition, by ensuring theratio of each component falls within the range described above for eachcomponent, and that the total of the ratios equals 100%, for example asfollows: 40% Green polyethylene by weight, 20% calcium carbonate byweight, 15% hemp hurd by weight, 24.5% starch by weight and 0.5%biodegradation additive by weight.

In another aspect, the EarthPCB composition may be provided with soyprotein as a substitute for the hemp hurd raw material. The EarthPCBcomposition with the substituted soy protein may thus comprise the soyprotein from approximately two to ten percent (2-10%) by weight milledinto a fine powder of about 0.25 to 3.0 microns in diameter. Theremaining biopolymers (e.g., starch and Green polyethylene) may beprovided in the same amounts by weight and of the same particlediameters as described previously above. Thus, an advantage of theEarthPCB composition with the substituted soy protein may be thatproducts made with the resin are as strong or stronger than petroleumplastic, and are compostable, biodegradable, recyclable and non-toxic tothe environment.

The EarthPCB resin described above may be produced from the followingpreferred formulas. A first exemplary formula of the EarthPCBcomposition may comprise 25% calcium carbonate by weight, 12% hemp hurdby weight, 17.5% Green polyethylene by weight, 45% starch by weight and0.5% EcoPure® additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 25%calcium carbonate by weight, 2% hemp hurd by weight, 27.5% Greenpolyethylene by weight, 45% starch by weight and 0.5% EcoPure® additiveby weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 25%calcium carbonate by weight, 6% hemp hurd by weight, 23.5% Greenpolyethylene by weight, 45% starch by weight and 0.5% EcoPure® additiveby weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 20%calcium carbonate by weight, 2% hemp hurd by weight, 45% Greenpolyethylene by weight, 32% starch by weight and 1% EcoPure® additive byweight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 60%Green polyethylene by weight, 37% starch by weight and 3% EcoPure®additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 25%calcium carbonate by weight, 2% hemp hurd by weight, 27.5% Greenpolyethylene by weight, 45% starch by weight and 0.5% EcoPure® additiveby weight.

In a final exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 25%calcium carbonate by weight, 2% soy protein by weight, 27.5% Greenpolyethylene by weight, 45% starch by weight and 0.5% EcoPure® additiveby weight.

As shown by the above preferred formulas, at least three of thesubstrate copolymers would need to be used to achieve a resin that isbiodegradable and compostable. Those three substrate copolymers would beGreen polyethylene from approximately fifty to seventy percent (50 to70%) by weight, starch from approximately thirty to fifty percent (30 to50%) by weight and biodegradation additive (e.g., EcoPure®) fromapproximately two to ten percent (2 to 10%) by weight. Thus, anadvantage of the EarthPCB composition disclosed herein may be thatbioplastic products made from the EarthPCB resin may be compostable,biodegradable and recyclable, even when using only the at least threesubstrate copolymers.

In tests conducted, EarthPCB resins made of two of the exemplaryformulas described above were analyzed. These compositions, called “EPC104” and “EPC 105,” were tested according to impact (ASTM D256), tensile(ASTM D638), melt flow (ASTM D1238), specific gravity (ASTM D792), andash test (ASTM D5630), as shown in Table 1 below. EPC 104 represents theexemplary embodiment of the EarthPCB resin comprising 25% calciumcarbonate by weight, 2% hemp hurd by weight, 27.5% Green polyethylene byweight, 45% starch by weight and 0.5% EcoPure® additive by weight. EPC105 represents the exemplary embodiment of the EarthPCB resin comprising25% calcium carbonate by weight, 6% hemp hurd by weight, 23.5% Greenpolyethylene by weight, 45% starch by weight and 0.5% EcoPure® additiveby weight.

TABLE 1 Specific Elon- Tensile Melt Com- Gravity Impact Tensile gationModulus Flow pound (g/cm³) (Ftlb/in) (psi) (%) (psi) (g/10 min) EPC 1041.35 0.30 1,689 0.62 319,162 0.75 EPC 105 1.38 0.32 1,542 0.43 412,0980.13

In particular, the compositions were tested against a PLA resin. Itshould be noted that during testing, it was observed that the presenceof the starch in the composition lowered the melt flow rate to about4.26 g/10 min on its own. Furthermore, as shown in Table 1, EPC 104dropped the melt flow rate to under 1 g/10 min and EPC 105 dropped themelt flow rate to under 0.2 g/10 min, compared to the melt flow rate ofthe PLA resin, which is 7.5 g/10 min. As demonstrated by these results,an advantage of the EarthPCB resin may be the slowing of the melt flowrate, which may can be useful is certain applications and manufacturingprocesses. In another example test, the tensile modulus improvedsignificantly due to the EarthPCB resins. The PLA resin's modulus is190,000 psi, and EPC 105, which had the highest improvement, had atensile modulus of 412,098 psi, as shown in Table 1. Thus, an additionaladvantage of the EarthPCB resin may be that bioplastics formed from theresin are stronger than PLA-based plastics.

FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate exemplary embodiments of the earth plant-basedcompostable biodegradable composition made during testing, according toan aspect. FIG. 1A illustrates the exemplary embodiment EPC 104discussed above (shown by 101). FIG. 1B illustrates the exemplaryembodiment EPC 105 discussed above (shown by 102). The exemplaryembodiments shown in FIGS. 1A-1B were made using traditional curingmethods, by first melting down each component and mixing their meltedforms. As shown in FIGS. 1A-1B, the EarthPCB resin embodiments madeusing this method vary in coloration and uniformity throughout thepieces of bioplastic 101, 102. For example, the presence of the darkerareas 103 a, 104 a and the presence of the lighter areas 103 b, 104 bindicate nonuniform blending of the components during mixing in each ofthe EarthPCB embodiments. This nonuniform blending may cause nonuniformstrength throughout, which may make the resulting bioplastic more proneto failure in particular applications.

As will be discussed in further detail herein below, during testing itwas discovered that the mill grinding of each of the components beforemixing the resin allows each component to blend uniformly.

In an aspect, a method of producing the EarthPCB composition isprovided. The method of producing the EarthPCB resin substrate may firstinvolve mill grinding each copolymer separately into a fine powder,wherein each particle is about 0.25 to 3.0 microns in diameter. Thesubstrate copolymers may be Green polyethylene, CaCO3, hemp hurd,starch, biodegradation additive and optionally soy protein meal, as anexample, and may be provided in solid state. Preselected amounts of eachsubstrate copolymer may be measured out for producing the EarthPCBcomposition. The substrate copolymers may be ground or pulverized intothis diameter range to enable a fine, powdered blending of each of thecopolymers into a uniform composition. The particle size of the powderedcopolymers may be measured via geometric methods, such as microscopy orsieving. In a preferred exemplary embodiment, the hemp hurd may bemilled into a fine powder about 0.25 to 0.75 microns in diameter. Hemphurd fibers, which form the inner core of the hemp stalk, are generallywoody and therefore do not compound well or blend evenly on their own.Thus, when the hemp hurd is ground to a fine powder of about 0.25 to0.75 microns in diameter, it blends and compounds more uniformly withthe other substrate copolymers. Thus, an advantage of milling the hemphurd into this fine powder size may be that the EarthPCB resin isstronger, more flexible, compostable and biodegradable.

Once each of the substrate copolymers are blended generally in the rangefrom about 0.25 to 3.0 microns, the copolymers may be blended togetherand mechanically mixed with no heat. As an example, each component maybe added one at a time to the mix in a mechanical mechanism, wherein themixture is mixed for about 5 to 25 minutes at a time before the nextsubstrate copolymer is added. Once all of the substrate copolymers havebeen mechanically agitated together dry, the resulting mixture may beheated to a temperature between about 220- and 360-degrees F. Theheating of the final mixture of substrate achieves thermodynamicactivation within the mixture, such that cohesion is established betweeneach substrate copolymer of the mixture. The heating of the finalmixture results in the final EarthPCB resin disclosed herein above.Thus, an advantage of the method of producing the EarthPCB resin may bethat the resin can be used as a material to form numerous types of foodand beverage containers, packaging, film, and similar plastic products.An additional advantage of the method may be that the resulting productswill be recyclable, compostable and biodegradable.

The EarthPCB resin may be manufactured into an array of products andgoods through thermoforming, blow molding, injection molding, bubbleforming, vacuum farming, and pelletizing, as an example. The EarthPCBresin may be pelletized via a process involving extrusion, cutting theextruded strands, and curing to produce bioplastic products. It shouldbe understood that because of the mill grinding of each of thecomponents that make up the composition, the curing process of thecomposition will be faster, thus reducing warehousing costs beforeproduction of various products made of the EarthPCB resin. As is knownto one of ordinary skills in the art, pelletizing is the process ofcompressing or molding the substrate into the shape of a small pellet.These pellets can then be shipped to various manufacturers who use thepellets in their specific manufacturing processes such as injectionmolding, extrusion film, blow molding, etc. The melt flow rate of theEarthPCB substrate material under thermoforming, as an example, can befrom about 7.5 to 4.26 g/10 min. A modifier in the form of an additivecould be applied to the substrate to adjust the melt flow rate to about7 to 3.5 g/10 min, as an example.

It should be understood that impact modifiers or temperature modifierscould be added to the substrate to make an obvious adjustment to theresin substrate's properties. As an example, an impact modifier could beadded to the substrate to give products more strength if produced fromthe resin.

The EarthPCB composition may be provided with a method of producingbioplastic made from the EarthPCB resin, in an aspect. The method ofproducing the EarthPCB composition for forming bioplastic may firstinvolve milling Green polyethylene and calcium carbonate into finepowders about 0.25 to 3.0 microns in diameter, and then mechanicallymixing the two powders together, forming a first mixture. Hemp hurd maybe milled into a fine powder about 0.25 to 3.0 microns in diameter andthen mechanically mixed and blended dry with no heat with the firstmixture, forming a second mixture. The second mixture thus comprises themixed Green polyethylene, calcium carbonate and hemp hurd. It should beunderstood that soy protein could replace the hemp hurd in thisexemplary method. Then, starch may be milled to a fine granulated powderabout 0.25 to 3.0 microns in diameter and may be mechanically mixed andblended dry with no heat with the second mixture, forming a thirdmixture. Finally, the third and final mixture may be agitated at atemperature between about 220- and 360-degrees F. to thermodynamicallyactivate and link material structures within each substrate copolymer,forming the EarthPCB resin. Blended material structural units are linkedin a linear or branched manner via the heating bonding process. TheEarthPCB resin may be cured at about 250- to 360-degrees F. to form abioplastic in the form of a pelletized material. The pelletized materialmay then be used to form food and beverage products by extruding, blowmolding injection, injection mold, etc. Thus, an advantage of the methodof producing bioplastic from the EarthPCB resin may be that productscurrently made from plastic can now be made from compostable andbiodegradable resin.

Traditional resin curing and mixing methods involve first melting downpelletized forms of each ingredient that makes up the composition. Asdisclosed above, the method of producing the EarthPCB resin involvesmixing all ingredients into a final mixture in a powdered form, ratherthan mixing melted down pellets. Thus, an advantage of the methoddisclosed above may be that each component making up the composition maybe mixed and blended dry with no heat.

It should be understood that the above described exemplary embodimentsof the EarthPCB composition may be used specifically for a variety ofapplications. As an example, for the production of films for packaging,for example, hemp hurd or soy protein and calcium carbonate wouldpreferably not be used in the making of the EarthPCB composition, asthey could disrupt the integrity of the resulting film.

What follows is a description of various other aspects, embodimentsand/or examples in which the invention may be practiced. Reference willbe made to the attached drawings, including the tables and chartstherefrom, and the information included in the drawings is part of thisdetailed description. Specifically, reference will be made to the tablesshowing data from the tests conducted of EarthPCB master batch resinmade in various aspects of a variety of the exemplary formulas describedbelow. These compositions called EarthPCB or EPCB were tested in variousaspects, embodiments and/or examples in which the invention may bepracticed.

The present invention relates to an earth plant based (EarthPCB)composition and methods of making and using the same, the compositionhaving eco-friendly properties, and being suitable to be used inapplications having the requirement for a wide spectrum of temperatureranges, from freezing low temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit ortemperatures above 212 degrees Fahrenheit boiling water, which can thusbe effectively used to replace petroleum-based plastic.

FIG. 2 illustrate other exemplary sample products made from the earthplant based compostable biodegradable composition made during testing,according to an aspect. It should be noted that because of theemployment of the preferred blending method described hereinafter, theplastic products have color and structural uniformity (unlike the testsamples from FIGS. 1A-B).

FIG. 3 illustrate various products that were successfully manufacturedfrom the earth plant-based compostable biodegradable composition,showing its broad suitability, according to an aspect. For example,hooks 311, that could be used to hang clothing, can be made of EarthPCBthat is rigid, not flexible. EarthPCB that is rigid could be used in thecosmetic industry to produce cosmetic packaging making it biodegradableand compostable. The cosmetic industry is seeking sustainable, renewablepackaging. That can be provided by the composition for production of arigid bioplastic for the cosmetic industry and other applications thatrequire a rigid material, as disclosed in this application.

The following are some examples of compositions that can be used forproduction of a bioplastic for cosmetic industry, or other rigidmaterial applications, such as wall hooks, automotive parts, boxes forelectronics, packaging for rigid walls, the composition beingcompostable and biodegradable.

A composition for production of a bioplastic for cosmetic industry orother rigid applications that is compostable and biodegradable, thecomposition comprising 40% plant-based polyethylene, 15% polyethylene,25% CaSiO3 Wollastonite, 10% CaCo3, 7% starch, 3% biodegradationadditive, all ratios being by weight.

A composition for production of a bioplastic for cosmetic industry orother rigid material applications, such as wall hooks, that iscompostable and biodegradable, the composition comprising of 65%plant-based polyethylene, 25% CaSiO3 Wollastonite, 7% CaCo3, 3%biodegradation additive, all ratios being by weight.

A composition for production of a bioplastic for cosmetic industry orother rigid material applications, such as wall hooks or boxes, orpackaging for rigid walls that is compostable and biodegradable, thecomposition comprising 35% plant-based polyethylene, 25% polyethylene,30% CaSiO3 Wollastonite, 8% CaCo3, 2% biodegradation additive, allratios being by weight.

A composition for production of a bioplastic for cosmetic industry orother rigid material applications, such as wall hooks, automotive parts,boxes for electronics, packaging for rigid walls that is compostable andbiodegradable, the composition comprising 62% plant-based polyethylene,20% CaSiO3 Wollastonite, 15% CaCo3, 3% biodegradation additive, allratios being by weight.

Another example of such composition, that is suitable for production ofa bioplastic for cosmetic industry or other rigid material applications,comprises a range of 25% to 75% plant-based polyethylene by weight, 10%to 50% CaSiO3 Wollastonite by weight, 1% to 25% CaCO3 by weight, 1% to30% starch by weight, 1% to 4% biodegradation additive by weight, 1% to8% color additive by weight.

As another example, the EarthPCB bag 312 was tested with dry ice (frozenform of carbon dioxide) at a temperature of minus 109 degrees F. Thislow temperature did not affect the integrity of the bag 312 on crackingor brittleness. Therefore, the EarthPCB bag 312 could be used for coldstorage for medical applications, such as shipping the COVID-19 vaccineand having the bag be biodegradable and biocompostable. An exampleformula for such bag is 88% plant-based polyethylene by weight, 8% ofCaCO3 by weight, 2% PCR by weight, and 2% biodegradation additive byweight.

FIGS. 4A-C show the side, bottom and top views, respectively, of anotherproduct, a shoe sole, that was also successfully made from the earthplant-based compostable biodegradable composition disclosed herein. Forexample, a flexible EarthPCB plastic could be used for this application.EarthPCB has successfully been blend with Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA)to make a shoe sole that is biodegradable and compostable. Currently,old shoes are not recycled and go to landfills and they are toxic to ourenvironment, taking up to 1000 years to break down into micro plastics,which are harmful to our environment and human health.

The following are some example of compositions that can be used for shoesoles, all ratios being by weight.

A composition for production of a bioplastic for shoes or other softmaterial applications that is compostable and biodegradable, thecomposition comprising a range of 30% to 60% plant-based polyethylene,30% to 75% EVA—Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate, 4% to 20% CaCo3, 1% to 20%starch, 1% to 4% biodegradation additive, all ratios being by weight.

A composition for production of a bioplastic for shoes or other softmaterial applications that is compostable and biodegradable, thecomposition comprising a range of 28% to 60% plant-based polyethylene,30% to 75% Bio-EVA—bio-based Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate, 1% to 25% CaCo3, 1%to 20% starch, 1% to 4% biodegradation additive, all ratios being byweight.

A composition for production of a bioplastic for shoes or other softmaterial applications that is compostable and biodegradable, thecomposition comprising a range of 22% to 60% plant-based polyethylene or22% to 60% plant-based polypropylene, 10% to 50% EVA, 30% to 75%bio-EVA—bio-based Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate, 1% to 25% CaCo3, 1% to 20%starch, 1% to 4% biodegradation additive, 1% to 30% hemp, 1%to 25%cotton waste, 1% to 20% protein from plants, all ratios being by weight.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary product (a living hinge) made from the earthplant-based compostable biodegradable composition being flexible. AnEarthPCB living hinge can be used in flip top bottles for lotions, handsanitizer or pill bottles, whereas, PLA, PHA, PHB and otherbiodegradable material cannot be used to make a flip top or living hingeproducts. An example of EarthPCB formula for this type of applicationsis 52% plant-based polyethylene by weight, 28% Bio-EVA (Ethylene vinylacetate) by weight, 12% of CaCO3 by weight, 4% starch by weight, and 4%biodegradation additive by weight. The EarthPCB formula for this type ofapplications may also comprise petroleum material, such as polypropyleneor PCR polypropylene. The EarthPCB composition will thus allow thepetroleum materials to also be compostable biodegradable while beingflexible to create a (a living hinge) which could be used in flip-topbottles for lotions, hand sanitizers, pill bottles or hand wipepackaging. An example of EarthPCB formula for this type of applicationis 80% PP—Polypropylene, 10% plant-based polyethylene, 6% CaCo3, 4%biography additive, all ratios being by weight.

It should be noted that, in general, for applications where the plasticshould be more rigid, increasing the ratio of CaCO3 in the formula is away to achieve that. On the other hand, for applications where theplastic should be more flexible, decreasing the ratio of CaCO3 and/orincreasing the ratio of plant-based polyethylene in the formula mayachieve that. Also, it should be noted that plant-based LLDPE is moreflexible and thus should be used more in flexible plastic applications,than plant-based HDPE, which is more rigid.

FIG. 6 illustrate a drinking straw made from the earth plant-basedcompostable biodegradable composition, that remained undeformed afterbeing tested in boiling hot microwaved water. FIG. 7 illustrate adrinking straw made from PLA, that was deformed when tested in the sametest conditions, i.e., insertion in a cup filled with boiling hotmicrowaved water (about 212° F.). As shown, while the PLA straw lost itsform and could not be used, the EarthPCB™ straw (FIG. 6 ) kept its formand could be used. This test also demonstrate that PLA could not be usedfor hot drinks or hot drink lids or stirrers as they could lose shapecause the hot water or liquid to spill out and badly burn or scaldingthe users' flesh hand, fingers or other body parts.

FIG. 8 illustrate a mask made from the earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition. For example, a flexible EarthPCB plasticcould be used for this application for better comfort to the user, andalso a glowing EarthPCB plastic, like the one in FIG. 9 , could be used.A glowing mask would for example make it easier to spot a firefighterwearing the mask in a dark environment.

FIG. 9 illustrate a cup made from the earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition that glows in the dark. A composition forproduction of a bioplastic for product that would be glowing in the darkthat could be used in first responders masks, pill bottles, so a patientcould easily find the medication in the dark, wall switch plates, asexamples of the applications, could be made from earth plant-basedcompostable biodegradable composition of EarthPCB formula for this typeof application is for example 30% to 80% plant-based polyethylene byweight, 20% to 60% Bio EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) by weight, 1% to 20%CaCO3 by weight, 1% to 20% starch by weight, 10% to 30% glow additive byweight (e.g., Glowzone™), and 1% to 4% biodegradation additive byweight. Another example of EarthPCB formula for this type of applicationis 30% to 80% PP—polypropylene by weight, 20% to 60% Bio EVA(Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) by weight, 1% to 20% CaCO3 by weight, 1% to 20%starch by weight, 10% to 30% glow additive by weight, and 1% to 4%biodegradation additive by weight.

FIG. 10 illustrate a cup made from the earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition that is still flexible after being cooled tofreezing temperature (below 32° F.). Thus the composition is suitablefor making ice cube trays, for example, while this cannot be done withPLA or PHA or PHB. Like with other flexible plastic applications,increasing the ratio of plant-based polyethylene and/or decreasing theratio of CaCO3 makes that possible.

FIGS. 11A-C, 12A-C, 13A-C show results of biodegradation testingperformed on plastic made from three particular formulas of the earthplant-based compostable biodegradable composition, EPCB 177, EPCB 178,EPCB 179, respectively. The EPCB 177 consists of Green PE 55%, CaCO³25%, potato starch 10%, tapioca starch 7%, biodegradation additive 3%,all ratios being by weight. The EPCB 178 consists of Green PE 60%, CaCO³25%, potato starch 11%, biodegradation additive 4%, all ratios being byweight. The EPCB 179 consists of Green PE 65%, CaCO³ 25%, potato starch6%, biodegradation additive 4%, all ratios being by weight.

The tests, the results of which are shown in FIGS. 11A-C, 12A-C, 13A-C,were performed according to ASTM D5511 and ASTM D5338.

In FIGS. 11A-C, 12A-C, 13A-C, the ‘negative’ column is a control sample,i.e., normal polyethylene. The ‘positive’ column is a sample ofcellulose used to show the test is working. This is an organic material.The column to the right of the positive column is the sample of EarthPCBtested.

As it can be deducted from FIGS. 13A-C, the EarthPCB product tested(EPCB 179) showed the ASTM5511 biodegradation timeline of 2.6 years(100/(365/58×5.9)), which is less than 3 years, which was the testinggoal on that EarthPCB composition blended formula. As shown, theEarthPCB product tested showed the ASTMD5338 bio compostable timeline ofless than one year, which was the goal in a composting side forbioplastic. It should be noted that by changing the EarthPCB substratecomposition blend formula the biodegradation and bio compostabletimeline could become shorter, having the EarthPCB composition productto biodegrade faster.

FIG. 14A shows results of strength tests performed on plastic made fromtwo particular formulas of the earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition, EPCB 240, EPCB 241, respectively. The EPCB240 consists of Green PE 90%, CaCO³ 8%, biodegradation additive 2%, allratios being by weight. The EPCB 241 consists of Green PE 95%, CaCO³ 3%,biodegradation additive 2%, all ratios being by weight. FIG. 14B showsresults of strength tests performed on plastic made from plant-basedpolyethylene versus petroleum-based polyethylene. As shown in FIGS.14A-B, the strength properties of the two EPCB formulas tested arecomparable or superior to those of plant-based polyethylene andpetroleum-based polyethylene.

In an example, the disclosed EarthPCB composition may containplant-based polyethylene (e.g., I'm Green™ polyethylene, Green PE) fromapproximately fifteen percent to ninety-nine percent (15-99%) by weightwhich is not biodegradable on its own. The composition may also includecalcium carbonate (CaCo3) from approximately half of a percent to sixtypercent (0.5-60%) by weight. The composition may also include food-basedstarches having no plasticizers added. The food-based starches are 100%biodegradable, compostable and recyclable, and may be provided from ahalf of a percent up to eighty-five percent (0.5-85%) by weight. Thecomposition may also include food-based proteins (such as soy protein)which are 100% biodegradable on their own and may be provided from onehalf percent up to eighty-five percent (0.5-85%) by weight. TheEarthPCB™ composition may also include a biodegradation additive (e.g.,Bio Sphere™, or EcoPure™ or other biodegradation additives such as EarthPlus™) from approximately half of a percent up to ten percent (0.5-10%)by weight. Advantages of this EarthPCB™ resin are that resultingproducts are as strong or stronger than petroleum-based plastics, whilealso being compostable, biodegradable, recyclable and non-toxic to theenvironment.

The food starches may be derived from, for example, potato, tapioca,cassava, pea, corn, wheat and other food-based starches.

In another aspect, an earth plant-based compostable biodegradablecomposition is provided, wherein the composition may include soyprotein, soy polyols, or soy plastic provided from approximately a halfof a percent to thirty percent (0.5-30%) by weight. The EarthPCB™ resinmay be provided with potato, tapioca, corn, cassava, pea, wheat or otherfood starches, with the soy protein, or other proteins in substitutionof hemp hurd, resulting in a composition comprising ethanol-based Greenpolyethylene, calcium carbonate, soy protein, other proteins,biodegradation additive (e.g., Bio Sphere™, or EcoPure™ or otherbiodegradation additives such as Earth Plus™) and natural food starch.In this example, the composition thus has no thermoplastic starches orplasticizers.

Thus, an advantage of the EarthPCB™ composition with the substitutedproteins and starch, natural food based materials, is that no chemicalsof thermoplastic plasticizers or flexibilizers are added, that theresulting products are natural, are as strong or stronger than petroleumplastic, yet they are compostable, biodegradable, recyclable andnon-toxic to the environment. Thus, they are also marine biodegradable.

An additional advantage may be that the components that make up theEarthPCB composition are widely available and cost-effective,economically feasible, rendering the resin an affordable and renewablealternative to petroleum-based plastic resins.

In another aspect, a method of making an earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition is provided. Again, the EarthPCB compositionmay comprise an ethanol-based PE, which could be derived from corn,sugar, sugar beets and so on. Cellulosic biomass is the structuralportion of plants, including complex sugars, that cannot directly beused for food ingredients or fermentation substrates, such as cornstocks, wheat fibers. The composition may also comprise calciumcarbonate, hemp hurd, food starches, such as corn, potato, tapioca andother like natural food starches, proteins, such as soy protein or peaprotein, biodegradation additive and bio polymers (PE, PP, etc.).

All of these different material compounded together face mixingchallenges because some are powders and others small pellets.Ethanol-based PE or PP is generally in a pellets form, whereas foodstarches or proteins are generally a powder, while calcium carbonate isa small granular powder with granules of about 2 (two) microns in size.Mixing those different materials together is challenging.

In an example, the method of producing the earth plant-based compostablebiodegradable composition disclosed herein may involve first milling thesubstrate copolymers into a fine powder, wherein each particle of thepowder is approximately of the diameter 0.1 to 4.0 micrometers(microns). The ethanol-based Green polyethylene or Green polypropylenemay be milled to a fine powder of about 0.1 to 4.0 microns, and thesubstrate calcium carbonate may be milled to a fine powder of about 0.1to 4.0 microns, and the two powders may be mechanically mixed together,forming a first mixture before a next compound step and before heat isadded.

Next, the substrate hemp hurd may be milled to a fine powder of about0.1 to 4.0 microns and mechanically mixed, and blended dry with thefirst mixture, without heat, forming a second mixture. No heat had beenapplied yet in the compounding first two pre-steps of mixing theEarthPCB different materials.

Next, the substrate natural food starches may be milled to a finegranulated powder of about 0.1 to 4.0 microns and mechanically mixed andblended dry without heat with the second mixture. When two or morenatural food starches are used, such as potato and tapioca starches,they are milled then mixed together first creating an uniformed naturalfood starch blend, then added to the second mixture, forming a thirdmixture.

Then, the substrate protein or proteins may be milled to a finegranulated powder of about 0.1 to 4.0 microns and mechanically mixed andblended dry without heat with the third mixture. When two or morenatural food proteins are used, such as soy protein and pea protein, theproteins are milled then mixed together first, creating a uniformednatural food protein blend, then added to the main mixture with thethird mixture, forming a fourth mixture.

After many tests, it was determine that the 0.1 to 4.0 microns particlessize is critical to the proper blending of the compositions, and thus totheir properties, as described herein (see FIG. 2 in contrast with FIGS.1A-B).

Then the substrate biodegradation additive may be milled and blended drywithout heat with the fourth mixture, forming the final EarthPCBcomposition. The biopolymer master batch may be blended together in amechanical mixing and may be heated to between about 220 and 430 degreesFahrenheit (F.) (e.g., for a few minutes) to achieve thermodynamicactivation of a master batch biopolymer, that is a compostable andbiodegradable composition, and that can be used to make bioplasticproducts.

Thus, there are several economic advantages of the method of producingthe EarthPCB substrate described above. All components of the resinblend evenly, no pre-dry with heat is needed to remove moisture from theplant based organic substrate biopolymer and the components are blendeddry without the need of applying heat during the mixing process. Anadditional advantage of the method of producing the EarthPCB substratemay be that the manufacturing process requires relatively lower energyconsumption because no pre-drying is needed, whereas other materialsthat are organic in nature, like PLA and PHA-PHB require extensivepre-heat drying before compounding or other processing, such asinjection molding, extrusion molding or extrusion blow molding.

EarthPCB does not require heat drying of the premaster batch materials,as well the final master batch EarthPCB substrate does not have to beheat dried before use. The master batch is suitable for injectionmolding, extrusion molding or extrusion blow molding methods, to makebioplastic products.

In another aspect, a method of producing an earth plant basedcompostable biodegradable substrate resin in pelletized form isprovided. The method of producing the EarthPCB substrate copolymer mayinclude providing ethanol-based polyethylene or ethanol basedpolypropylene, made from corn, sugar or cellulosic organic materials forexample, from, for example, approximately 25 to 99% by weight, with 1%to 10% by weight of a blended mixture of a natural food starch, calciumcarbonate, and a biodegradation additive, mixed together in a powderform would create a compostable biodegradable composition biopolymermaster batch resin that would not need to be pre-dried before injectionmolding, extrusion molding or extrusion blow molding takes place.

In another aspect, a method of producing an earth plant basedcompostable biodegradable substrate resin in pelletized form isprovided. The method of producing the EarthPCB substrate copolymer mayinclude mixing ethanol-based polyethylene or polypropylene from about 25to 99% by weight, natural food starch from about 1 to 50% by weight,biodegradation additive from about 0.5 to 10% by weight, calciumcarbonate from about 1 to 40% by weight, protein from about 1 to 40% byweight, wood fibers or grass fibers from about 1 to 40% by weight, andhemp hurd from about 1 to 50% by weight.

The method of producing the EarthPCB substrate copolymer may includefirst mill grinding each substrate copolymer separately into finepowders of about 0.1 to 4.0 microns. Those fine powders may then beblended uniformly in a mechanical mixer for about 5 to 25 minutes foreach powder, adding each substrate copolymer one at a time during themixing process. The fine powders are blended dry with no heat in themechanical mixer. When all of the substrate copolymers have beenmechanically agitated and mixed together dry and with no heat, then thecomplete master batch mixture of substrate may be heated at atemperature of between about 220 and 430 degrees F. to achievethermodynamic activation, thus establishing cohesion between eachsubstrate copolymer and resulting in a substrate master batch resin.Finally, the substrate resin may be cured at a temperature between about220 and 430 degrees F. to form pelletized bioplastic that may then beused in various manufacturing processes for the production of bioplasticproducts.

Thus an advantage of the method of producing the substrate resin may bethat the master batch resin is not temperature sensitive to cold in afreezer for example, or hot temperature in a microwave for example, orhot temperature in a lower rack of a dishwasher or sensitive to hotboiling water at 212 degrees F. while the master batch resin is alsoearth plant based compostable, biodegradable and recyclable, when noother plant based resin has achieved these cold to heat temperatureresilience for a bioplastic durable goods. As discussed hereinbefore,PLA, PHB and PHA melts in heat and becomes brittle in cold temperatures,and are thus not durable. Thus, an advantage of the method of producingthe substrate master batch resin may be that the resin can be used as amaterial to form numerous plastic products, such as food and beveragecontainers, packaging, film, plastic bags, automotive parts, medicaldevices, cosmetic packaging, household goods, electronic products,aircraft parts, toys and any other products that are made from petroleumplastic. An additional advantage of the method may be that the resultingproducts will be recyclable, compostable and biodegradable. Also,another advantage is that the master batch resin could be obtained fromas little as two of the material components described above and still becompostable and biodegradable or could be obtained from all componentsdisclosed herein, to make a master batch resin and still be compostableand biodegradable as well as recyclable.

The PE based EarthPCB composition disclosed herein can be recycled withother PE plastics, to become a PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) resin.

The PP based EarthPCB can be recycled with other PP plastics to becomePCR resin.

The above aspects, examples or advantages, as well as other aspects,examples or advantages, will become even more apparent from the ensuingdescription.

The EarthPCB composition may have additional advantageous properties,such as improved environmental temperature ranges that bioplasticmaterials could be used in, improved strength in comparison with otherbioplastic materials, improved flexibility, moisture resistance, oxygenbarrier property, coloring improvements of bioplastic materials, such asred, yellow, green, blue, orange and all other colors, biodegradationproperties, and compostability. Further, the materials that form theEarthPCB are also widely available and relatively low-cost, makingEarthPCB one of the most economically feasible bioplastic material inthe world.

The pellets resin feed stock material segment/component may comprise anethanol-based polyethylene, or ethanol-based polypropylene, abiodegradation additive (e.g., EcoPure, Bio Sphere or other typeadditives, such as EarthPlus), calcium carbonate (CaCo3) in a 0.1 to 4.0micron size, and the soft powder segments/components may comprise ofnatural food starch, natural protein, hemp hurd, or grass fibers, orwood chip milled into a fine powder 0.1 to 4.0 micron size. Thesesegments may enable products made from the EarthPCB resin to compost andbiodegrade after use, while also being non-toxic. Thus, an advantage maybe that the earth plant based compostable biodegradable resin-basedbioplastic can be used to replace petroleum-based plastics that arecurrently used in the market today. For example, this includes but isnot limited to food and beverage packaging, cosmetic and healthcareproducts packaging, automotive, construction, textiles, bags-film, andin applications such as injection molding, extrusion blow moldingextrusion molding, as well as in other types of customer and industrialproducts.

In an aspect, the EarthPCB composition may be provided with anethanol-based polyethylene from approximately fifteen percent toninety-nine (15-99%) by weight in a form of pellets or a preferred formof finely ground powder of about 0.1 to 4.0 micrometers (microns).

The EarthPCB resin substrate may also be provided with calcium carbonate(CaCo3) from approximately 0.25% by weight, EarthPCB resin substrate mayalso be provided with natural food starch such as potato or tapioca, orcorn starch from approximately 0.25% by weight, and EarthPCB resinsubstrate may also be provided with a biodegradation additive fromapproximately 0.5% by weight, completing a 99% by weight ofethanol-based polyethylene and a 1% by weight of a combination ofcalcium carbonate (CaCo3), natural food starch, and a biodegradationadditive. The advantage of this resin substrate as well is that it wouldbe biodegradable, biocompostable and recyclable, as well as beingeconomically feasible.

In another aspect, the EarthPCB composition may be provided with anethanol based polyethylene from approximately fifteen percent toninety-nine (15-99%) by weight in a form of pellets or a preferred formof finely milled powder of about 0.1 to 4.0 micrometers (microns). TheEarthPCB resin substrate may also be provided with CaCo3 fromapproximately one percent by weight to fifty percent (1 to 50%) byweight of fine powder generally in the preferred approximate diameter0.1-4.0 microns.

The presence of calcium carbonate in the EarthPCB may be advantageousfor multiple reasons for particular applications where in white plasticis describable, such as in pill bottles, shampoo or lotion bottles,cosmetic packaging, food and beverage packaging, supplements packaging,such as protein or nutrition packaging, etc.

Because calcium carbonate is naturally white, it may decrease the needfor white colorant, which may decrease the cost of producing theEarthPCB for such applications. An additional advantage is that theEarthPCB substrate formulation-composition uses lower concentrations ofcalcium carbonate that those of stone-based resin, which makes theEarthPCB composition less brittle.

Additional advantages are that the EarthPCB substrate compositionconcentration of calcium carbonate could speed up the biodegradationtimeline, add strength, makes EarthPCB more temperature tolerant, is anatural material that goes back into the earth and is a sustainableearth material.

The EarthPCB resin substrate may also be provided with hemp hurd fromapproximately one to seventy-five percent (1-75%) by weight milled intoa fine powder of about 0.1 to 4.0 microns, as an example. Using hemphurd to produce plastic may be a better option than petroleum-basedplastic as it is 100% biodegradable and recyclable. The EarthPCB resinsubstrate composition may also include natural food starch (NFS) in manydifferent varieties being used at the same time in the substrate or justusing one type of natural food starch such as potato or tapioca, orcorn, which is derived from natural starch granules that occur in plants(e.g., potato, tapioca, wheat, corn, rice, cassava, pea and other suchplants). The natural food starch may be provided from approximately 0.25percent to sixty percent (0.25%-60%) by weight milled into a fine powderof about 0.1 to 4.0 microns particles.

The EarthPCB resin substrate may also be provided with food protein suchas soy, pea, hemp seeds, beans and other plant-based protein fromapproximately one-half percent to fifty percent (0.5-50%) by weightmilled into a fine powder of about 0.1 to 4.0 microns, as an example.Using plant-based proteins to produce plastic may be a far better optionthan petroleum-based plastic as it is 100% biodegradable and recyclable.

The EarthPCB resin substrate composition may also include naturalgrasses (there are 12,000 species of grass), like bamboo (there are asmany as 12 different types of bamboo), corn stalk or other cellulosicbiomass. An advantage of using grass in the substrate composition isthat this material is plentiful all over the world and is alow-cost-material to be used to make plastics, it is also 100%biodegradable. Also, wood chips or charred wood could be used in thesubstrate composition The amount of wood or other cellulosic materialmay be from approximately one percent to 35 percent (1-35%) by weight,milled into a fine powder of about 0.1- to 4.0 microns, as an example.

The same substrate composition of grasses percent could be used andmilled into a fine powder in the same micro size range grass fromapproximately one percent to 35 (1-35%) by weight milled into a finepowder all about 0.1 to 4.0 microns, as an example. An advantage ofthese substrate compositions is that they are 100% biodegradable andrecyclable.

Lastly, EarthPCB resin may be provided with biodegradable additive inapproximately one-half percentage to ten percent (0.5-10%) by weight ina pellet form or a preferred form milled into a fine powder of about 0.1to 4.0 microns, as an example. The biodegradation additive enables theproducts formed with the EarthPCB composition to biodegrade or biocompost within 2 months to 3 years depending upon the EarthPCBcomposition blend and the end of life environment the products made fromEarthPCB end up in.

Thus, an advantage of the EarthPCB composition may be that bioplasticproducts made from the composition are as strong or stronger thanpetroleum plastic, yet they are compostable, biodegradable, recyclableand non-toxic to the environment.

It should be understood that within the ranges described above, variousEarthPCB compositions can be formulated of the multiple componentsdescribed. Tests revealed however that four of the multiple componentsare critical to obtaining a suitable, durable, biodegradable andbiocompostable EarthPCB resin.

Those four (4) components are the ethanol-based polyethylene orpolypropylene, natural food starch (without plasticizer or thermoplasticstarch in them), calcium carbonate (CaCo3) and a biodegradationadditive. In an example, one may choose to combine 60% by weight Greenpolyethylene with 20% by weight calcium carbonate, with 18% by weightnatural food starch and with 2% by weight biodegradation additive.

In another example, one may choose to combine five of the abovecomponents into a single composition, by ensuring the radio by eachcomponents falls within the range described above for each component andthat the total of the ratio equals 100%, for example as follows: 50%Green polyethylene or Green polypropylene by weight, 15% calciumcarbonate by weight, 15% potato starch, 10% tapioca starch, 6% hemp hurdby weight, 4% biodegradation additive by weight.

In another example, three (3) components could be used. For example, 90%Green polyethylene or Green polypropylene by weight, 7% calciumcarbonate by weight, and 3% biodegradation additive by weight. Anotherexample of three-component EarthPCB could be 90% Green polyethylene orGreen polypropylene by weight, 9% calcium carbonate by weight, and 1%biodegradation additive by weight.

In another aspect, the EarthPCB composition may be provided with avariation of a component in the same composition. An example could be55% Green polyethylene or Green polypropylene by weight, 10% calciumcarbonate by weight, 7% potato starch by weight, 7% tapioca starch byweight, 2% soy protein by weight, 2% pea protein by weight, 2% hemp hurdby weight, 5% bamboo fibers by weight and 3% biodegradation additive byweight. The components of protein, starch and grass would be milled intoa fine powder of about 0.1 to 4.0 microns in diameter.

In another aspect, the EarthPCB composition may be provided with soyprotein as a substitute for hemp hurd raw material, or bamboo grassfibers could be used as a substitute for the hemp hurd raw material. TheEarthPCB composition with the substituted soy protein or bamboo fibergrass may thus comprise the soy protein or bamboo grass fromapproximately one to thirty percent (1-30%) by weight milled into a finepowder of about 0.1 to 4.0 microns in diameter, or as the samepercentage by weight as shown above. The remaining components (e.g.,starch, calcium carbonate, Green polyethylene) may be provided in thesame amounts by weight and of the same particle sizes as describedpreviously above in pellet or powder form.

The EarthPCB resin described above may be produced from the followingpreferred formulas. A first exemplary formula of the EarthPCBcomposition may comprise 63% Green polyethylene by weight, 14% calciumcarbonate by weight, 10% potato starch by weight, 10% tapioca starch byweight, 3% biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition comprise 67%Green polyethylene by weight, 24% calcium carbonate by weight, 8% foodstarch by weight and, 1% biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 99%Green polyethylene by weight, 0.25% calcium carbonate by weight, 0.25%food starch by weight, and 0.5% biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 62%Green polyethylene by weight, 2% food protein by weight, 17% calciumcarbonate by weight, 18% food starch by weight and 1% biodegradationadditive by weight.

In another example of the formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise65% Green polyethylene by weight, 19% calcium carbonate by weight, 13%food starch, and 3% biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 62%Green polyethylene by weight, 25% calcium carbonate by weight, 12% foodstarch by weight, and 1% biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 50%Green polyethylene by weight, 24% calcium carbonate by weight, 12%potato starch by weight, 12% of tapioca starch by weight, and 2%biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 60%Green polyethylene by weight, 17% calcium carbonate by weight, 10%potato starch by weight, 10% of tapioca starch by weight, and 3%biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 70%Green polyethylene by weight, 15% calcium carbonate by weight, 6% potatostarch by weight, 6% of tapioca starch by weight, and 3% biodegradationadditive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 80%Green polyethylene by weight, 9% calcium carbonate by weight, 4% potatostarch by weight, 4% of tapioca starch by weight, and 3% biodegradationadditive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 90%Green polyethylene by weight, 5% calcium carbonate by weight, 1% potatostarch by weight, 1% of tapioca starch by weight, and 3% biodegradationadditive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 62%Green polyethylene by weight, 14% calcium carbonate by weight, 10%potato starch by weight, 10% of tapioca starch by weight, and 1%biodegradation additive by weight, and 2% color additive that is FDAapproved for food contact. As an example, a construction worker's hardhat could be colored yellow so that heavy equipment operators on aconstruction site or a factory floor could easily see the worker wearinga yellow hardhat. This is an advantage of the EarthPCB composition withthe substrate composition of color additive that is FDA compliant or isbiodegradable may be that the worker wearing the yellow hardhat would beeasily seen and the hard hat made with EarthPCB resin is a strong orstronger than petroleum plastic and are compostable, biodegradable,recyclable and non-toxic to the environment.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise of 1to 10% color additive by weight whereas the color additive is FDAcompliant food contact where different color EarthPCB food and beveragecontainers could be used to identify certain brands, food or beverage,content of the container (e.g., may be identifying a gluten free food ora diet beverage). For example, blue color could mean diet, whereas a redcontainer could mean the beverage contains sugar, and a gluten free foodcolor packaging could be a gold color.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 90%Green polyethylene by weight, 6% calcium carbonate my weight, 2%biodegradation additive by weight, 2% of color additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 95%Green polyethylene by weight, 1% calcium carbonate my weight, 1%biodegradation additive by weight, 3% of color additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 99%Green polyethylene by weight and 1% biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 51%Green polyethylene by weight,22% calcium carbonate by weight, 22% foodstarch by weight, 2% color additive by weight, and 3% biodegradationadditive by weight.

As shown by the above preferred composition formulas, at least two ofthe substrate materials would need to be used to achieve a resin that isbiodegradable and compostable. These two substrate copolymers would beGreen polyethylene from approximately 90 to 99 percent (90 to 99%) byweight, biodegradation additive from approximately 1 to 10 percent (1 to10%) by weight.

However, as shown by the above preferred composition formulas ofEarthPCB, at least four of the substrate materials would need to be usedto achieve a resin that is biodegradable and compostable in a fastertimeline, as well because the EarthPCB substrate materials like calciumcarbonate, food starch, grasses, food protein, are less expensive byweight than Green polyethylene or Green polypropylene by weight andbiodegradation additive by weight. There is a clear economic advantageto using at least three or four of the EarthPCB materials in thesubstrate composition formula.

Thus, an advantage of the EarthPCB composition disclosure herein may bethat bioplastic products made from EarthPCB resin may be compostable,biodegradable and recyclable, even when using only two or three of thesubstrate copolymers.

In particular, the EarthPCB composition was compared in density to PLA(polylactic acid) and it was found that PLA has 1.24 g/cm³ density, andEarthPCB had a density of around 0.95 g/cm³, 29% less dense, meaningthat EarthPCB could weigh 29% less in comparison to PLA for the sameproduct produced. This is significant benefit in terms of freight costsand product handling. For example, a person lifting a box of productsmade of PLA would be lifting 50-pound box of products, whereas that samebox of materials made of EarthPCB would weight 35.5 pounds. This wouldbe also corresponding to a company being able to pack 29% more productsby weight into a 50-pound package, which could be significant economicsavings. Both PLA and EarthPCB are biodegradable and biocompostable,petroleum-based polyethylene may have a similar density factor asEarthPCB, however, (PE) polyethylene is not biodegradable norbiocompostable and can only be recycled. And global recycling rates areat 9% which is devastating to our environment. Thus, an advantage of theEarthPCB composition disclosed herein may be that bioplastic productsmade from EarthPCB resin weight less than PLA, are biodegradable,biocompostable, and recyclable, whereas petroleum-based polyethylene mayhave a similar density to EarthPCB, however, PE is not biodegradable orbiocompostable; similarly, green polyethylene may have a similar densityto EarthPCB, however, (Green PE)—green polyethylene is not biodegradableor biocompostable without the substrate composition of EarthPCBcopolymers blended with Green PE. Therefore, there is a clear advantageof the EarthPCB, when it comes to the combination of weight/density,biodegradability and biocompostablility, over PLA, PE, and Green PE.

PCR: POST-CONSUMER RECYCLED MATERIAL PLASTIC

EarthPCB formulas were designed to complement a range of scenarios forresponsibly disposing of plastic waste, including recycling and reducing(PCR—Post-Consumer Recycled Materials) into a circular economy.

Likewise, PCR: post-consumer recycled plastic, are plastic material thatare reused, recycled and re-purposed—they become PCR: post-consumerrecycled material, PCR is being used in various percentages by weightwith resin petroleum plastic anywhere from 5% to 100% PCR to make newproducts. So, the more we recycle plastic waste the better it is for ourenvironment.

For example, the cost of PCR is very high compared to similar resinregular plastic such as HDPE could cost $0.60 per pound whereas PCR-HDPEcould cost as much as $1.30 per pound.

There are over 6 trillion kilograms of plastic waste in the world andevery ounce of conventional plastic ever created is still with us. Thisinflux of plastic waste is destructive to our environment and ourhealth. Micro-plastics accumulate in humans, terrestrial, and aquaticfood chains through our agricultural soil and water supply, causing awide array of negative health impacts.

Those tiny pieces enter our unwitting bodies from tap water, food andeven the air we breathe, many having chemicals linked to cancers,hormone disruption, and developmental delays.

In general, there has been no real sustainable end of life solution tothe plastic waste problem. There has been on real sustainable-bioplasticmaterial developed that can be economically scaled for mass production,that is economically feasible, and can be used to replace a wide rangeof petroleum based plastic products used today in the global market. Weneed a collect and destroy plan for plastic waste.

Therefore, there is a need to solve the problems described above byproducing an economically feasible earth plant-based compostable andbiodegradable composition, having eco-friendly properties that can beused in PCR—Post-Consumer Recycled resins, and scalable methods formanufacturing said compositions/resins globally.

In an aspect, an earth plant-based compostable biodegradable (EarthPCB™)composition is provided comprising a composition of blended earthmaterials and copolymer substrates. To solve the problem of PCR—productsgoing back into landfills or our oceans after recycling and reuse,EarthPCB™ can incorporate one to ninety nine percent (1 to 99%) byweight of PCR resin such as polyethylene PE, polypropylene PP, as anexample. The composition may also include one half percent to tenpercent (0.5 to 10%) biodegradation additive by weight. PLA, PHA, PHBcannot be recycled with PCR or blended/compounded with PCR, butEarthPCB™ can be.

In another aspect, an earth resin-based “plus” compostable biodegradablecomposition resin may comprise an ethanol based Green Polyethylene—GreenPE from approximately fifteen percent to ninety five percent (15 to 95%)by weight, five to fifty percent PCR-polyethylene or polypropylene (5 to50) by weight, one percent to thirty percent calcium carbonate CaCo3 (1to 30%) by weight, one percent to thirty percent food starch (1 to 30%)by weight, half percent to ten percent biodegradation additive (0.5 to10%) by weight, food protein such as soy or pea protein one percent tothirty percent (1 to 30%) by weight, one percent to fifty percent hemphurd or bamboo grass, or wood chips, (1 to 50%) by weight.

Blending mixing EarthPCB with plastic PCR resins would create asustainable end of life for plastic waste and PCR plastic products, aswell as create a safety net, that if the PCR plastic would happen to endup back into the ocean or a landfill, it would biodegrade, and not haveto be costly recycled again. If this is not done, the vicious cycle ofplastic waste going into our environment will continue to exist and getworse, since our global population moves toward 9 billion people.

It should be apparent that, when creating a particular EarthPCBcomposition from the weight percentage ranges of each componentdisclosed herein, the total by weight percentage of the particularcomposition should not exceed one hundred percent (100%).

The EarthPCB—plus PCR resin described above may be produced from thefollowing exemplary formulas. A first exemplary formula of the EarthPCBcomposition may comprise of 5% PCR-Polyethylene, by weight, 60% GreenPolyethylene by weight, 12% calcium carbonate by weight, 10% potatostarch by weight, 10% tapioca starch by weight, 3% biodegradationadditive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 10%PCR-Polyethylene resin by weight, 60% Green polyethylene by weight, 15%calcium carbonate by weight, 12% food starch by weight, 3%biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 15%PCR-Polyethylene resin by weight, 60% Green polyethylene by weight, 10%calcium carbonate by weight, 12% food starch by weight, 3%biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 25%PCR-Polyethylene resin by weight, 50% Green polyethylene by weight, 15%calcium carbonate by weight, 8% food starch by weight, 2% biodegradationadditive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 50%PCR-Polyethylene resin by weight, 35% Green (plant-based) polyethyleneby weight, 12% calcium carbonate by weight, 3% biodegradation additiveby weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 75%PCR-Polyethylene resin by weight, 15% Green (plant-based) polyethyleneby weight, 8% calcium carbonate by weight, 2% biodegradation additive byweight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 99%PCR-Polyethylene resin by weight, 1% biodegradation additive by weight.

It should be known that a small percentage of color additive could beadded to the formula to achieve a certain color as explained in anotheraspect. For example, 1 to 10% color additive could be added bycorrespondingly reducing any of the other component substrates such asPCR-PE, Green PE, calcium carbonate, cotton, food starch, biodegradationadditive. It should be known that, as described hereinbefore, otherEarthPCB substrates could be used, such as food protein, hemp hurd,bamboo, grasses, woods, biomass, cellulose, cotton, in addition to or asa substitute of other substrates. Again, all of these substrates arebiodegradable.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 25%PCR-Polyethylene resin by weight, 50% Green polyethylene resin byweight, 10% calcium carbonate by weight, 5% cotton waste by weight, 7%food starch by weight, 3% biodegradation additive.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 5%PCR-polypropylene resin by weight, 60% Green polypropylene resin byweight, (again, Green polypropylene is made from ethanol), 12% calciumcarbonate by weight, 10% potato starch by weight, 10% tapioca starch byweight, 3% biodegradation additive.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 10%PCR-Polyethylene resin by weight, 60% Green polypropylene by weight, 15%calcium carbonate by weight, 12% food starch by weight, 3%biodegradation additive.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 15%PCR-polypropylene resin by weight, 60% Green polypropylene resin byweight, 10% calcium carbonate by weight, 12% food starch by weight, 3%biodegradation additive.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 50%PCR-Polypropylene resin by weight, 35% Green polypropylene by weight,12% calcium carbonate by weight, 3% biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 75%PCR-Polypropylene resin by weight, 15% Green polypropylene by weight, 8%calcium carbonate by weight, 2% biodegradation additive by weight.

In another exemplary formula, the EarthPCB composition may comprise 99%PCR-Polypropylene resin by weight, 1% biodegradation additive by weight.

Again, a small percentage of color additive could be added to theformula to achieve a certain color as explained in another aspect. Forexample, 1 to 10% color additive could be added by correspondinglyreducing any of the other component substrates, such as PCR-PP, GreenPP, calcium carbonate, food starch, cotton, biodegradation additive.

Again, other EarthPCB substrates could be used, such as food protein,hemp hurd, bamboo, grasses, woods, biomass, cellulose, cotton could beadded or substituted. All of these substrates are biodegradable.

In another composition may comprise 25% PCR-Polypropylene resin byweight, 50% Green polypropylene by weight, 10% calcium carbonate byweight, 5% cotton waste by weight, 7% food starch by weight, 3%biodegradation additive by weight.

The PCR resins could also be milled to a fine granulated powder of about0.1 to 4.0 microns and mechanically mixed, and blended dry without heatwith the other substrates in the EarthPCB formulas.

In another example, an earth plant-based compostable biodegradable(EarthPCB) composition is provided comprising a composition of blendedearth and copolymer substrates. The composition may be provided withethanol-based Green Polypropylene made from different type of organicmaterials such as corn, sugarcane, sugar beets, cellulosic, or otherplant-based ethanol Earth polypropylene or Green polypropylene (e.g.,EarthPCB™, Earth-based polypropylene, I'm Green or I'm EarthPPpolypropylene EarthPP or Green PP) from approximately fifteen percent toninety-nine percent (15-99%) by weight which are not biodegradable ontheir own. The composition may also include calcium carbonate (CaCO3)from approximately half of a percent to sixty percent (0.5-60%) byweight. The composition may also include food-based starches which are100% biodegradable, compostable and recyclable, and may be provided froma half of a percent up to eighty-five percent (0.5-85%) by weight. Thecomposition may also include food-based protein which are 100%biodegradable on its own and may be provided from one half percent up toeighty-five percent (0.5-85%) by weight. The EarthPCB resin may alsoinclude a biodegradation additive from approximately half of a percentup to ten percent (0.5-10%) by weight. Thus, and advantage of theEarthPCB substrate may be that resulting products are as strong orstronger than petroleum-based plastics, while also being compostable,biodegradable, recyclable and non-toxic to the environment. Again, thefood starches may also include but not be limited to potato, tapioca,cassava, pea, corn, wheat, and other food-based starches.

Thus, it should be apparent that, due to the biodegradable nature of thecompositions disclosed herein, if any recycling system fails, if thereare leaks into the environment because of unmanaged waste, there isfinally a solution—EarthPCB.

As will we discussed in the further detail herein below, during testingit was discovered that the mill grinding of each of the componentsbefore mixing the resin allows each component to blend uniformly.

In an aspect, a method of producing EarthPCB composition is provided themethod of producing EarthPCB resin substrate may first involve millgrinding each copolymer separately into a fine powder, wherein eachparticle is about 0.1 to 4.0 microns in diameter. The substratecopolymers may be Green polyethylene or Green polypropylene, calciumcarbonate (CaCo3), grass, cotton waste, wood, such as bamboo, hemp hurd,burned wood chips, or sawdust wood fibers, food protein, such as soyprotein, food starch, such as potato, tapioca, corn starches,biodegradation additive, as an example, and may be provided in a solidstate. The above substrate components may be in pellet form, but thepreferred form would be a fine milled powder. Pre-selected amounts ofeach substrate copolymer may be measured out for producing EarthPCBcomposition.

The substrate copolymers may be ground, milled or pulverized into thediameter range to enable a fine, powdered fine, powdered blending ofeach of the copolymers into a uniform composition. The particle size ofthe powered copolymers may be measured via geometric methods, such asmicroscopy or sieving. In a preferred exemplary embodiment, Green PE,Green PP, grasses, woods, cotton, CaCo3, food starches, food proteinmeals, biodegradation additive may be milled into a fine powder about0.1 to 4.0 microns in diameter. Hemp hurd fibers, which form the innercore of the hemp stalk, are generally woody and therefore do notcompound well or blend evenly on their own. Thus, when the hemp hurd isground to a fine powder of about 0.1 to 4.0 microns in diameter, itblends and compounds more uniformly with the other substrate copolymers.The same holds true for grasses, wood fibers, wood chips, cotton,biomass and therefore they do not compound well or blend evenly on theirown. Thus, when these substrate components are ground to a fine powderof about 0.1 to 4.0 microns in diameter they blend and compound moreuniformly with the other substrate copolymers. Thus, an advantage ofmilling these substrate components into this fine powder size may bethat the EarthPCB resin is stronger, more flexible, and economicallyfeasible because no pre-drying is needed before compounding. Thesecomponents are compostable, biodegradable and recyclable.

Once each of the substrate copolymers are blended generally in the rangeof about 0.1 to 4.0 microns, copolymers may be blended together andmechanically mixed with no heat or pre-drying. As an example, eachcomponent may be added one at a time to the mix in a mechanicalmechanism, wherein the mixture is mixed for about 5 to 25 minutes at thetime before the next substrate copolymer is added. Once all of thesubstrate copolymers have been mechanically agitated together and dry,with no heat or pre-drying the substrate components to remove themoisture out of the organic substrate before compounding takes place(the components mixed together help to dry up the moisture), theresulting mixture may be heated in the compounding method to atemperature between about 220 and 430 degrees Fahrenheit (F.). Theheating of the final mixture of substrate achieves thermodynamicactivation within the mixture, such that cohesion is established betweeneach substrate copolymer of the mixture without using a thermoplasticstarch or a plasticizer additive. This is critical in developing aneconomically feasible bioplastic material like EarthPCB. Thermoplasticstarch and plasticizer additives are expensive and could containnon-organic, non-biodegradable, non-compostable materials. The moreorganic biomaterials that are used to create a bioplastic, the betterthe opportunity to achieve biodegradation and biocomposting within themaster batch resin. The heating of the final mixture results in thefinal master batch EarthPCB resin disclosed herein above. Thus, anadvantage of the method of producing EarthPCB resin may be that theresin is economically feasible as a replacement to petroleum-basedplastic can be used as a material to form numerous types of food andbeverage containers, packaging, film, bags, cosmetic packaging, medicalapplications, pill bottle, nutrition supplements, commercial andindustrial appliances, automotive, airline, basically any products thatare similar to petroleum plastic products, could be made from EarthPCB.An additional advantage of the method may be that the resulting productswill be recyclable, compostable and biodegradable.

The EarthPCB resin may be manufactured into any array of products andgoods through, thermoforming, rotomolding, injection molding, extrusionblow molding, extrusion, film, bubble forming, vacuum framing, andextrusion pelletizing, as an example.

The EarthPCB resin may be pelletized via a process involving extrusion,cutting the extruded strands, and curing to produce a master batchbioplastic resin pellets. It should be understood that because of themill grinding of each of the components that make up the composition,the curing process of the composition will be faster, and not requireany pre-drying of the substrate components in order to extrude compoundthe EarthPCB composition into a pelletized master batch. This saves atremendous amount of time and cost. It is common and known that manysubstrates and organic material such as PLA, PHA, PHB need to bepre-dried to extrude compound, as well when these bio resins like PLA,PHA, PHB are used, they need to be pre-dried before the injectionmolding, extrusion, extrusion blow molding, thermoforming and otherwell-known plastic processing are used to make bioplastic, as wellpetroleum-based plastic products. Whereas, EarthPCB does not need to bepre-dried before using, thus reducing the time to process bio resin,making it into bioplastic products. It should be noted that the millingof EarthPCB substrate components take time to mill (5 to 25 minutes)however that is much less time than pre-drying the substrates or resinmaterial when processing. Pre-heating bio resin prior to use takes 24 to48 hours, a much longer time than mixing say 5 to 25 minutes. Also, atremendous amount of energy power either gas or electricity has to beused in the ovens that are pre-drying let's say PLA, PHA, PHB or otherbio resins, where milling use less energy, thus reducing costs and timeto manufacture and also reducing warehousing costs before production ofthe various products made of EarthPCB resin.

As is known to one of the ordinary skills in the art, pelletizing is theprocess of compressing, extruding, or molding the substrate into theshape of a small pellet. Those pellets can then be shipped to variousmanufacturers who use the pellets in the specific manufacturing processsuch as, injection molding, extrusion film, extrusion blow molding,thermoform, etc.

The melt flow rate of the EarthPCB substrate material underthermoforming is less than 1 g/10 min to 80 g/10 min (melt flow lessthan 1 to 80 g/10 min), which is a significant advantage in being ableto produce a wide range of bioplastic products. Other bio resins (e.g.,PLA, PHA, PHB) are not able to achieve this range of melt flow. Unlikethe EarthPCB, the other bio resins do not poses the critical ability toeasily adjust the melt flow rate. This is why PLA, PHA, PHB have limiteduse in plastics manufacturing, whereas EarthPCB can be used at allapplication of the plastic industry, but as a biodegradable,biocompostable, recyclable bioplastic. Thus, melt flow rate of EarthPCBsubstrate material under thermoforming process, as an example, can be ina range from about less than 1 to 80 g/10 min. No modifier is need inthe form to achieve this melt flow range. It is attainable by justblending the EarthPCB substrate materials as listed above, thus reducingthe cost of the resin because no extra substrate components arerequired. It should be noted that reducing the ratio of starch in theEarthPCB formula would increase the flow rate. It should be understoodthat impact modifiers or temperature modifiers could be added to thesubstrate to make an adjustment to the resin substrate's properties.

As an example, an impact modifier (e.g., Calcium Carbonate orCaSiO3-Wollastonite) could be added to the substrate to give the productmore strength if produced from the EarthPCB resin disclosed herein.Impact modifiers are not known, or obvious to be added to a Green PE orGreen PP. However, a substrate component as listed above, as well theEarthPCB composition could include impact modifiers or other additivesthat may be added to the EarthPCB substrate composition to adddurability to products made from EarthPCB, and still achieve to goalsfor the EarthPCB composition to be biodegradable, biocompostable,recyclable.

The EarthPCB composition may be provided with a method of producingbioplastic made from EarthPCB resin, in an aspect. The method ofproducing the EarthPCB composition for forming bioplastic may firstinvolve milling Green polyethylene or Green polypropylene and calciumcarbonate into fine powders about 0.1 to 4.0 microns in diameter, andthen mechanically mixing the two powders together, forming a firstmixture. Hemp hurd, bamboo, fibers, grasses, cotton or wood fibers maybe milled into a fine powder about 0.1 to 4.0 microns in diameter andthen mechanically mixed and blended dry with no heat with the firstmixture, forming a second mixture. Thus, it should be noted that nopre-drying of the substrate components is needed, as are resumed byother bio plastics like PLA, PHA, PHB. The second mixture does comprisethe Green polyethylene or Green polypropylene, calcium carbonate andhemp hurd. It should be understood that food starch or protein particlesor granulates, as an example (soy protein or pea protein, or potatostarch, or tapioca starch) could replace the hemp hurd or be added withthe hemp hurd, mixing hemp hurd and protein particles, powders,granulates. Then food starch such as potato, tapioca, corn, wheat may bemilled to a fine granulated powder about 0.1 to 4.0 microns in diameterand may be mechanically mixed and blended dry with no heat or pre-dryingof the substrate components with the second mixture, forming a thirdmixture. It should be understood that a biodegradation additive may bemilled to a fine granulated powder about 0.1 to 4.0 microns in diameterand may be mechanically mixed and blended dry with no heat or pre-dryingwith the third mixture, forming a fourth mixture. Finally, the third andfinal mixture may be agitated-compounded at a temperature between about220 and 430 degrees F. to thermodynamically activate and link materialstructures within each substrate copolymer, forming the EarthPCB masterbatch resin. Blending material structural components are linked in alinear or branched manner via the heating bonding process. The EarthPCBresin may be cured at about 220 and 430 degrees F. to form a masterbatch bioplastic in the form of a pelletized material. The EarthPCBpelletized material may then be used to form food, beverage, cosmetics,automotive, consumer good, straws, medical devices, electronic devices,nutrition powder packaging, pill bottles, basically any products thatare currently made of regular plastic can be made from EarthPCB resin,as examples of products that could be produced by extruding, extrudingblow molding, injection molding, thermoform, vacuum forming, rotomoldingas examples of general plastic product manufacturing methods. Thus, amadvantage of the EarthPCB resin may be that products currently made fromregular plastic can now be made from compostable, biodegradable,recyclable resin.

Traditional petrochemical based plastic resin curing, and mixing methodsinvolved first melting down pelletized forms of each ingredient thatmakes up the composition. As disclosed above, the method of producingthe EarthPCB high performance, sustainable, renewable, low-carbon resininvolves mixing all ingredients into a final mixture in a powdered form,rather than mixing melted down pellets. Thus, an advantage of the methoddisclosed above may be that each component making up the composition maybe mixed and blended dry with no heat, or pre-drying of the componentsof the resin, and no pre-drying of the finished master batch resinbefore any manufacturing process of the material is done such as,injection molding, extrusion, extrusion blow molding, vacuum form,thermoform, rotomolding, etc., as an example.

It should be understood that the above described exemplary embodimentsof the EarthPCB high performance, sustainable, renewable, less-pollutingresin composition may be formulated and used specifically for a varietyof applications. As an example, for the production of films forpackaging, for example, soy protein may not be used but, milled hemphurd, or bamboo grasses, Green polyethylene, calcium carbonate, naturalfood starches, and a biodegradation additive could be preferably used inthe making of the EarthPCB high-performance, sustainable, renewable,low-carbon composition, as an example, since protein such as soyprotein, pea protein could disrupt the integrity of the resulting filmproducts.

It should be noted that including into the EarthPCB compositionsdisclosed herein organic components, such as food starch (that is pure,with no plasticizers or other additives), food protein or cellulosicmaterial (e.g., wood or grass fibers) is critical to the acceleration ofthe biodegradation and composting processes.

It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used in this patent document. It should be understood that theterms “substrate,” “composition,” and “resin” are used hereininterchangeably. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases“associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivativesthereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with,contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, becommunicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximateto, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.

Further, as used in this application, “plurality” means two or more. A“set” of items may include one or more of such items. Whether in thewritten description or the claims, the terms “comprising,” “including,”“carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to beunderstood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to.Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consistingessentially of,” respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitionalphrases with respect to claims.

If present, use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,”etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connoteany priority, precedence or order of one claim element over another orthe temporal order in which acts of a method are performed. These termsare used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having acertain name from another element having a same name (but for use of theordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. As used in thisapplication, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, butthe alternatives also include any combination of the listed items.

Throughout this description, the aspects, embodiments or examples shownshould be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on theapparatus or procedures disclosed or claimed. Although some of theexamples may involve specific combinations of method acts or systemelements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements maybe combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives.

Acts, elements and features discussed only in connection with oneaspect, embodiment or example are not intended to be excluded from asimilar role(s) in other aspects, embodiments or examples.

Aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention may be described asprocesses, which are usually depicted using a flowchart, a flow diagram,a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may depictthe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can beperformed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of theoperations may be re-arranged. With regard to flowcharts, it should beunderstood that additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the stepsas shown may be combined or further refined to achieve the describedmethods.

If means-plus-function limitations are recited in the claims, the meansare not intended to be limited to the means disclosed in thisapplication for performing the recited function, but are intended tocover in scope any equivalent means, known now or later developed, forperforming the recited function.

If any presented, the claims directed to a method and/or process shouldnot be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written,and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences maybe varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

Although aspects, embodiments and/or examples have been illustrated anddescribed herein, someone of ordinary skills in the art will easilydetect alternate of the same and/or equivalent variations, which may becapable of achieving the same results, and which may be substituted forthe aspects, embodiments and/or examples illustrated and describedherein, without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore,the scope of this application is intended to cover such alternateaspects, embodiments and/or examples. Hence, the scope of the inventionis defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents. Further,each and every claim is incorporated as further disclosure into thespecification.

1. A composition for production of a bioplastic that is compostable andbiodegradable, the composition comprising about 1 to 99% by weight ofPCR resin and about 0.5% to 10% biodegradation additive by weight. 2.The composition of claim 1, the composition comprising about 25% PCRpolyethylene resin by weight, about 50% plant-based polyethylene resinby weight, about 10% calcium carbonate by weight, about 5% cotton wasteby weight, about 7% food starch by weight and about 3% biodegradationadditive.
 3. The composition of claim 1, the composition comprisingabout 5% PCR polypropylene resin by weight, about 60% plant-basedpolypropylene resin by weight, about 12% calcium carbonate by weight,about 10% potato starch by weight, about 10% tapioca starch by weightand about 3% biodegradation additive.
 4. The composition of claim 1, thecomposition comprising about 10% PCR polyethylene resin by weight, about60% plant-based polypropylene by weight, about 15% calcium carbonate byweight, about 12% food starch by weight and about 3% biodegradationadditive.
 5. The composition of claim 1, the composition comprisingabout 15% PCR polypropylene resin by weight, about 60% plant-basedpolypropylene resin by weight, about 10% calcium carbonate by weight,about 12% food starch by weight and about 3% biodegradation additive. 6.The composition of claim 1, the composition comprising about 50% PCRpolypropylene resin by weight, about 35% plant-based polypropylene byweight, about 12% calcium carbonate by weight and about 3%biodegradation additive by weight.
 7. The composition of claim 1, thecomposition comprising about 75% PCR polypropylene resin by weight,about 15% plant-based polypropylene by weight, about 8% calciumcarbonate by weight and about 2% biodegradation additive by weight.
 8. Acomposition for production of a bioplastic that is compostable andbiodegradable, the composition comprising plant-based polypropylene orplant-based polyethylene from about 15% to about 99% by weight andbiodegradation additive from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight.
 9. Thecomposition of claim 8 further comprising calcium carbonate (CaCO3) fromabout 0.5% to about 60% by weight.
 10. The composition of claim 8further comprising food-based starch from about 0.5% to about 85% byweight.
 11. The composition of claim 8 further comprising food-basedprotein from about 0.5% to about 85% by weight.
 12. (canceled)
 13. Acomposition for production of a bioplastic, the composition comprisingabout 96% to 99% plant-based polyethylene, PP—Polypropylene orplant-based polypropylene, by weight, and 1% to 4% biodegradationadditive by weight.
 14. The composition of claim 13 wherein thecomposition comprises 98% plant-based polyethylene by weight and 2%biodegradation additive by weight.
 15. The composition of claim 13wherein the composition comprises 97% plant-based polyethylene by weightand 3% biodegradation additive by weight.
 16. The composition of claim13 wherein the composition comprises 96% plant-based polyethylene byweight and 4% biodegradation additive by weight.
 17. The composition ofclaim 13 wherein the composition comprises 97% plant-based polypropyleneby weight and 3% biodegradation additive by weight.
 18. The compositionof claim 13 wherein the composition comprises 96% plant-basedpolypropylene by weight and 4% biodegradation additive by weight. 19.The composition of claim 13 wherein the composition comprises 95%plant-based polypropylene by weight and 5% biodegradation additive byweight.
 20. The composition of claim 13 wherein the compositioncomprises 99% polypropylene by weight and 1% biodegradation additive byweight.